Race...gas consumption.

I am thinking about doing a 50 mile race...around a small island in the ca delta. five mile lap, 10 laps...probably realistic average speed of 35/40 MPH.

Can I do this on one tank of gas? GP 1300R...2006'

I would like to not have to refill...50 miles in laps consisting of one half protected from the wind/smooth and the other half of the lap in possibly fairly heavy wind with a slack tide...read, up to 3/4 foot rollers.

I am thinking about doing a 50 mile race...around a small island in the ca delta. five mile lap, 10 laps...probably realistic average speed of 35/40 MPH.

Can I do this on one tank of gas? GP 1300R...2006'

I would like to not have to refill...50 miles in laps consisting of one half protected from the wind/smooth and the other half of the lap in possibly fairly heavy wind with a slack tide...read, up to 3/4 foot rollers.

If you know the Ca Delta you know it can be very unpredictable.

I would appreciate any feedback to prepare.

Thanks...

In water that big, speed is not your priority, it is stability and being strong enough to hang on when the fatigue sets in.

1. Use a 3 degree nozzle is you can find one or borrow one from a 3 seater. The 5 degree will wear you out in water that big. You will spend more time in the air than in the water. You cannot make power while you are flying. This is an absolute must.

2. Spend time at the gym, rather than on the water. If you have spent any time in water like that and understand its unpredictability, then there is nothing new to learn. Work on building endurance.

3. Talk to racers that you know who have completed the race and ask them if they have made it on one tank of gas. One tank usually equates to about 1 hr of wide open performance. So ask the question, how long the race usually last. If it normally last a little longer than an hour, then start with 3/4 a tank and prepare to make 1 stop to fill 5 gallons. Your boat will handle better with less gas, so it makes sense to spend the most time that you can with the least amount of fuel in your boat as possible. The lighter the boat, the easier it is for you to control.

4. Make sure that you have someone looking to help you when it is time to make a pit stop. In fact do a practice run refilling so that both of you know what to do. You will be extreemly tired, and will spend a extral long time filling your own boat. Many races are won and lost while fueling. If you spend 1 minute longer at the fuel pump than your opponet, then it is 1 minute that you will have to spend trying to catch up..... at the time when you are most fatigued. It is a tough hill to climb. Think about how far you can travel on a jet ski in 1 minute, even when you are tired. Let your opponent spend the extra minute on shore.

5. Be competetive, but have fun and enjoy the moment. It is such a rush to be with people who enjoy doing the same thing you enjoy doing.

Dont know if this answer will help you, but the other day i rode 66miles (GPS). When i refilled the tank, it took 11gals to fill it up. So, by that i still had another 4.9gals left before i filled it up. I was not holding the ski wide-open, but was cruising around the intercoastal waterway running about 45 mph most of the time. No real waves, fairly smooth water.. Have fun with your trip and have a safe/fun ride.

+1 on the 3 deg nozzle, just fitted one to mine with standard ride plate. A massive improvement in the rough stuff, the ski just carves through the stuff unlike with the std 5 deg nozzle. Gets to be a real physical battle to see if you can hang on.

As for the 50 miles on a tank you should be there ish.

I lap an Island of the south coast of the UK which is 65 miles and that takes approx 55 litres out of the GPR 60 litre tank going as fast as I can hold on to the thing.

But my ski has the usual head, VF3, 3 deg key, EFI etc so not sure if fuel consumption works out the same or better. I've seen stock gpr1300s burn through squirt quicker then I do.